Skyla Whitaker, 11, & Taylor Placker 13 - Found Murdered - #3

[OrdinaryLife]

I am part Cherokee and grew up near Tulsa/Claremore and do know about Okla tribal territory vs civilian and the issues in presents in LE but most readers here at WS do not. And many here were not ALIVE (Or Adults) when the Girl Scout Murders happened (a case which has a few similarities sadly). I was just trying to give the basics so others would understand the challenges OSBI may face with a rural area, a Native American Male POI driving a PU/Truck in Oklahoma....on several fronts. I would suppose there are 100 people around the wider general area of the murders that match the description of the suspect - and not all would be 100% Native American (or tribal members) either. And the truck may, or may not, be owned by the POI.

The area is part of the Creek (Muscogee) Nation Jurisdiction Tribally. It's not a heavily populated stretch of counties from the TX border to Okmulgee - even less so since oil and gas went bust in the 90's and not a lot of industry or businesses for people to work at - that's why the avg income is so low. The location where this happened is just off two Interstates - not real far from the Creek Turnpike either -all are heavily traveled by many people NOT from the immediate area. On a sunny Sunday afternoon, well, it could have been anybody from NE Oklahoma in the area...plus assorted lost meth heads, gun nuts doing target practice and general partiers....all added to the "locals".

It's likely the POI is local, but not guaranteed. And if he has a brain he has cut his hair and the truck is gone or isn't readily identifiable any more. An ID would HAVE to come from someone who KNOWS him and if he is a criminal - they may be scared to ID him for many reasons - perhaps they fear what he knows on THEM? And there is always the chance the POI only SAW what happened and for whatever reason - including his own past record and not wanting to be incriminated - does not want to come forward.

It's all so "open" right now but there is one thing - if it is a tribal member the POI can hide for a very long time on tribal land and NEVER be found OR reported by his family.

My Opinion

Thank you, FlowerChild, for sharing another Oklahoma perspective. It's refreshing!

 

[txsvicki]

The POI must know someone in the area and had a reason to be around at that time of day. Otherwise, I agree with Flowerchild that unless someone knows him it will really be hard to find this man.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

It will narrow the search a little since his hair is down to his lower back. Now if they would just tell us if the truck is old...it would narrow it further.

He was wearing boots and the prints looked like hiking or work boots to me.

If they got such a good look...why didn't they describe his clothing? I rather doubt he is wearing shorts with hiking/work boots, but could be.

 

[FlowerChild]

Rosser did say his investigation is taking officials outside this part of east-central Oklahoma, to places such as Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Seminole. Tips have come in from neighboring states, he said.

Rosser said the fact that the girls were shot in such a remote place leads him to believe any suspects would come from this area of east central Oklahoma, about 90 miles east of Oklahoma City. He also said the killer or killers may have ties to this part of the state.

Rosser made a point of saying that investigators have not become desperate in their search, and may return to the crime scene on the dirt road today. Yesterday, officials made GPS maps of the site from helicopters.

Rosser spoke to the media from a command center in the Okfuskee County Courthouse. Black-and-white photocopies of evidence — a boot print in the dirt road, for instance — were taped to the wall. Most of the evidence was covered from public viewing. Rosser had drawn a map of the country road, and the bridge near where the girls were shot, on a marker board in the fourth-floor office. Investigators pecked on laptops.

http://newsok.com/investigators-widen-search-for-killers-of-girls-near-weleetka/article/3256954

 

[FlowerChild]

We don't know if this man is local, we presume that, but we don't know. We have several witnesses who saw the man and we have several witnesses who heard gunshots. Witnesses say he acted suspiciously, but we don't know what he was doing there." Brown has described the man as American Indian, 6-feet-tall with brown eyes and a long black ponytail. Witnesses said the man was seen standing outside his truck on the county road where the girls were later found dead. Brown said witnesses told investigators that truck was blocking the road around the time of the shooting and the man was standing outside the truck. About six witnesses have given the same account, Brown said.


The new details in the case were disclosed as friends and family members attended the funeral for 11-year-old Skyla Whitaker at a Henryetta church. At the funeral, investigators entered the church and took the guest book. Services for Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13 were held this morning in Dewar.

Same article

http://newsok.com/investigators-widen-search-for-killers-of-girls-near-weleetka/article/3256954

 

[harleysnana]

The witness may have felt that the POI got a very good look at him too and would know which witness snitched about seeing him. If he got such a good look at the POI to make the composite so detailed then I think it is highly likely the POI looked this witness right in the face. Chilling.

By him coming out, the witness knew he would know who had squealed on him and the witness knew this man was on the loose and whereabouts unknown.

I would be fearful too.

imo

I agree but what I'm wondering is how would the killer identify the witness?
I mean... know where he lived... know how to find him etc?

We know that the witness was worried about being identified….
so how would the killer be able to identify him?
1. The killer new the witness.
2. The killer saw the witness.
3. The killer figured out who the witness was due to the timing of the release of the witness statements.
If the killer knew the witness then it wouldn’t matter when the statement about the witness was released.
If the killer saw the witness but didn’t know him… then how would he be able to identify him or know how to find him just by seeing him one time?
If the killer saw the witness… or even didn’t see the witness but it came out the same day right after it was released that the grandpa found the girls… one would assume the witness to be the grandpa. And IMO the grandpa would have a lot of fear of being identified! Especially when he had given interviews and his picture, name, address and the date of his granddaughters funeral had been given out.

 

[KR2tonenow]

I first thought it was a possibility that the killer picked them up and then they got
out of his car so he shot them.

I had to draw this out on paper...

The girls are walking south and found on the west side of the road.
They are shot facing the killer and the killer made a u turn or partial u
turn.
So wouldn’t this mean that the truck was facing north after the u turn?
If so then the drivers door would be facing west towards the girls.
That would make it fast and easy for him to come up on them if they were
walking.

If they did jump from the car the passenger side would be on the east side of the road imo they wouldn't go towards the drivers door to get away they
would jump out of the car on the passenger side and go up the road
and wouldn’t that put the killer behind them and them on the wrong side of the road?

This seems to be plausible. I had to sketch it out too.
I think this finished shooting prior to when the Grandfather came up on them.

I do think the Grandpa saw more.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

OT: Did I mention I was a 5th generation Okie? Boomer Sooner.

Anyway, I have thought from the beginning the people (perps) were probably from OKC or Tulsa. I still think that. I think drugs played some role here. I also believe that we are missing some very vital pieces they are witholding so we are not getting a very clear picture. I don't think it matters who the witnesses are and don't understand why we are spending time on it.

Tonight, after AMW airs...I expect they will get several new leads which could take them directly to the POI. Let's just hope and pray that is the case.

 

[txsvicki]

The OSBI spokeswoman said that the witness who saw the girls walking couldn't come forward right away and this his reasons were checked out and were credible, but the reasons couldn't be told because that would identify the witness. Maybe he was on his way out of town or to some job?

 

[Littledeer]

The OSBI spokeswoman said that the witness who saw the girls walking couldn't come forward right away and this his reasons were checked out and were credible, but the reasons couldn't be told because that would identify the witness

I could be wrong, but I'm reading this as being someone local, who else would be able to identify the witness?? Even if from 40 miles away if he was traveling through, and his or her wife saw the reasons, how would you really know??

I think the reasons for not coming forward would be only obvious to the locals. IMO

 

[SeriouslySearching]

We have checked the OK Dept. of Corrections site so what else can we do to try to find the POI?

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I could be wrong, but I'm reading this as being someone local, who else would be able to identify the witness?? Even if from 40 miles away if he was traveling through, and his or her wife saw the reasons, how would you really know??

I think the reasons for not coming forward would be only obvious to the locals. IMO

I wonder if he was involved in some type of accident? Like maybe a wreck on an ATV and he was in the hospital for a few days? The locals would be aware of that.

So to me it still seems they think the POI is most likely from this area.

imoo

 

[MeoW333]

I am part Cherokee and grew up near Tulsa/Claremore and do know about Okla tribal territory vs civilian and the issues in presents in LE but most readers here at WS do not. And many here were not ALIVE (Or Adults) when the Girl Scout Murders happened (a case which has a few similarities sadly). I was just trying to give the basics so others would understand the challenges OSBI may face with a rural area, a Native American Male POI driving a PU/Truck in Oklahoma....on several fronts. I would suppose there are 100 people around the wider general area of the murders that match the description of the suspect - and not all would be 100% Native American (or tribal members) either. And the truck may, or may not, be owned by the POI.

The area is part of the Creek (Muscogee) Nation Jurisdiction Tribally. It's not a heavily populated stretch of counties from the TX border to Okmulgee - even less so since oil and gas went bust in the 90's and not a lot of industry or businesses for people to work at - that's why the avg income is so low. The location where this happened is just off two Interstates - not real far from the Creek Turnpike either -all are heavily traveled by many people NOT from the immediate area. On a sunny Sunday afternoon, well, it could have been anybody from NE Oklahoma in the area...plus assorted lost meth heads, gun nuts doing target practice and general partiers....all added to the "locals".

It's likely the POI is local, but not guaranteed. And if he has a brain he has cut his hair and the truck is gone or isn't readily identifiable any more. An ID would HAVE to come from someone who KNOWS him and if he is a criminal - they may be scared to ID him for many reasons - perhaps they fear what he knows on THEM? And there is always the chance the POI only SAW what happened and for whatever reason - including his own past record and not wanting to be incriminated - does not want to come forward.

It's all so "open" right now but there is one thing - if it is a tribal member the POI can hide for a very long time on tribal land and NEVER be found OR reported by his family.

My Opinion

Flowerchild, Thank you for clearing this up Good article link as well.

"We have several witnesses who saw the man and we have several witnesses who heard gunshots. Witnesses say he acted suspiciously, but we don't know what he was doing there."
and
"witnesses told investigators that truck was blocking the road around the time of the shooting and the man was standing outside the truck. About six witnesses have given the same account, Brown said."


With 6 different witnesses that saw the man and truck and or heard the shooting, yet no one can provide more details to what happened? No one can describe how he was acting "suspiciously"? I wish they would elaborate on what they mean by suspicious.
It seems stupid for someone to partially block a road with their truck then stand outside it for all to see if they have just murdered 2 innocent children. Common sense they would get the hell out of there as soon as possible and not stand around.

 

[KR2tonenow]

Clearly, if the witness by the truck in the middle of the road just shot the girls. Did these 6 people see him get in his truck and peel off down the road?

TG, AMW is covering this...we clearly want more answers .

 

[oceanblueeyes]

Flowerchild, Thank you for clearing this up Good article link as well.

"We have several witnesses who saw the man and we have several witnesses who heard gunshots. Witnesses say he acted suspiciously, but we don't know what he was doing there."
and
"witnesses told investigators that truck was blocking the road around the time of the shooting and the man was standing outside the truck. About six witnesses have given the same account, Brown said."


With 6 different witnesses that saw the man and truck and or heard the shooting, yet no one can provide more details to what happened? No one can describe how he was acting "suspiciously"? I wish they would elaborate on what they mean by suspicious.
It seems stupid for someone to partially block a road with their truck then stand outside it for all to see if they have just murdered 2 innocent children. Common sense they would get the hell out of there as soon as possible and not stand around.

I thought the witnesses that saw him were shortly BEFORE the children were murdered?

I think they have told LE but LE is not releasing that because they are prefacing that is one of the reasons they want to talk to him.

The truck couldn't have been blocking the entire road or the witness or witnesses wouldn't have been able to pass.

imoo

 

[MeoW333]

Maybe he had parked half on the road and half on the side?

 

[Claycat]

Has it occurred to anyone that the POI might be Taylor's father? Taylor looks like she might have some Native American blood. The photo I saw of her sort of resembles the drawing of the POI. Just a thought!

 

[kahskye]

I could be wrong, but I'm reading this as being someone local, who else would be able to identify the witness?? Even if from 40 miles away if he was traveling through, and his or her wife saw the reasons, how would you really know??

I think the reasons for not coming forward would be only obvious to the locals. IMO

Maybe they're not coming forward, because they don't want to have to explain what they were doing on that road. Maybe it's due to an affair or something like that and why they don't want to be identified.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

I went through all of the Tulsa County records of sex offenders. Nada. Didn't find anything even close. Anyone want to tackle Oklahoma County or other counties?

 

[txsvicki]

I'd like to know how long before the girls were shot that the several witnesses saw the man parked on the road. You'd think if these witnesses also saw the girls walking they would have waited or came back around since the man was suspicious. If they were shot just before the witnesses came by, I wonder if the man could have been wiping some blood spatter off of his vehicle before leaving. If this is the man who did it, he must be a total lunatic.